Reviews by mavbrew:

We were in town yesterday on our VT beer trip and saw they had some DFH, Hill Farmstead and Allagash on tap, so we decided to stop in. This is my kind of place, there are 9 bar stools and about 10 beers on tap, a hidden gem by my standards. They offered nothing but great beer, and the owner was behind the bar chatting it up with all of us about beer and everything else. Hell, he showed me some Maine Beer Co. Peeper and said to stop by a local liquor store where I could pick it up cheaper, he said it was a must try but expensive in his bar.

I must say this is a must visit bar in Waterbury, the atmosphere is great, the beer selection is small but excellent and the owner seems like a great guy. If I lived in the area I would be certain this would be my regular bar. I will be stopping in whenever I'm even close to Waterbury, that's for sure.

Killer small place with an awesome vibe. I didn't eat any of the food because I already ate at the Reservoir. The taplist is not huge but the beers are! Dig this place, and is another must if in the area.

My favorite places are the ones where when I first go in it seems like the people don't like me but then after a few minutes they figure out I'm cool and treat me real good. This was one of those places, but my enjoyment of it was very particular to me. If you are a not an abrasive, "love him or hate him"-style weirdo like myself, then this joint might not work for you. If you are, well, welcome to a real nice joint, friend.

The tap selection was limited, but everything was Capital-G good, and frankly I'd prefer that to 25 taps where everything is just lower-g good.

The vibe was an entrancing mix of the vibrant and the dingy. The walls were green. Lots of bottles and piping and old plastic buckets all covered in dust with basement cobwebs clumped in the uppermost corners of walls. The dude behind the bar had a conversation with us about god remembers what. It was a very nice place and I hope someday to go back there again.

Blackback Pub is my favorite place on earth. I live in Southern, NH and a few times a year make the drive to Waterbury to spend the night drinking amazing craft beer at Blackback Pub. I was a little worried about the new owners - they cleaned the place up, added tvs, and added their own kitchen (instead of mad taco) - but its still a little slice of heaven.

Check their facebook page for updates on the draftlist - usually you'll find a couple of Hill Farmstead offerings, cans of Heady Topper, and a Lawson's beer. They also have cantillon on tap more than any bar in the area.

The perfect VT trip...arrive at HF right as they open, fill growlers and then head up to Parker Pie for lunch. From Parker Pie head down to Waterbury, stop to try to buy Heady Topper at CBC and the little gas station just near the highway, then check in at The Old Stagecoach Inn. Spend a couple of hours at Blackback and then head over to Prohibition Pig for delicious BBQ. Check out Reservoir and then immediately leave because it sucks. Hang with Lauren at Blackback until they kick you out! Get up in the morning and scarf down the breakfast at The Old Stagecoach Inn. On the way home stop at The Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier to spend any money you have leftover on underpriced Bruery offerings...

Visiting Blackback was a great way to try a few different offerings from Hill Farmstead without driving all the way to the brewery and waiting in a ridiculous line. Very good service and tasty food. The selection of brews on tap was heavily geared toward local, which was nice to see. A must visit when in Waterbury.

Great small bar in downtown Waterbury. The draft selection was great. They will do 1/2 pours if you ask. My brother and I went there after dinner at The Reservoir. It was game 6 of the World Series and the bartender, Eric I think, had his SF jersey on. I was rooting for KC. We had fun drinking the great VT beers and watching the game. The place is small, but we got a seat at the bar on the right side of the building. It was a little weird looking since they expanded into the place next door. You almost feel like it is separate bars.Definitely worth stopping here. All the people we met were very friendly.